It had been ten years since Joe had had a drop of alcohol and now a few drinks in and he was quite wasted. His whole body tingled with a warmth that he had missed. He had finished one last glass of wine with Emma before he kissed her on the forehead and stumbled up the stairs. He was amused with his own drunken state. It felt good to be inebriated and to let go. For a moment he wasn't sure he was going to make it all the way up but eventually his foot found the final stair and he was able to stumble towards the bedroom from there.
Liette had gone upstairs just a little while before. Joe had been tempted to follow her then but Emma had asked him to stay for one last drink. He had obliged, knowing that it was best to keep a happy atmosphere amongst him and Emma especially considering the fact that Paul was in a mood. The last thing Joe needed was to turn them against him. They were crucial in the future chapters of his books. Emma had just wanted some alone time to talk to him. She was very happy to have him back in her life. It was almost cute how Emma bent on his every word. Joe could feel the power he had over her. It was the power he no longer had with Liette.
During their former years Joe had been well aware of his student hanging off his every word. She had contributed intelligently to their conversations but she had been hooked on his speech nonetheless. Now things were very different. At times Liette was an active participant in their talks but in other moments Joe could feel her distance. She did not anticipate his every syllable anymore. Liette had definitely become unhooked. He needed to find a way to get her back again.
When Joe entered the master bedroom he found Liette coming out of the bathroom, changed into a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top that she had found in the dresser. Her hair hung loosely over her one shoulder and she had wiped her face clear of the make-up that she had just put on before dinner. Joe wondered why she bothered to put it on. She didn't need it. She was beautiful either way. Still, if it was what she liked to do he wouldn't stop her from fixing herself up. She could make her own decisions. There was just one decision he really wanted her to make and that involved him. She needed to decide that she wanted him and in his drunken state Joe believed she needed to decide now. "You're the most stunning woman in the world." his words were breathy and he could taste the wine on himself as he spoke. He stumbled towards her drunkenly and wrapped his arms around her waist. Liette fidgeted slightly in his grasp because it was slightly tight but eventually she loosened up.
"You're drunk." she whispered to him, her eyes falling to the floor. She felt weak in his arms right now but that was because she wasn't herself. Her gun was in the bedside table and therefore it was too far away to grab. Besides in this state she was unlikely to be a very good shot. If he wanted to harm her tonight would be the night to do it.
"I'm still right." he said, allowing his one arm to leave her waist in order to come up to the side of her face. A loose strand of hair had fallen down in front of her eyes so Joe pushed it back to where it belonged. He took in the beautiful sight of those knowing brown eyes. He fell harder and harder every time he had the chance to stare at them. It was as if her soul opened up for him and caused him to love her more. "But you're drunk too. Just one, right?" he teased her as he touched her nose gently with his pointer finger.
"Just five."
Joe had been more persuasive than Liette had remembered. He had had Jacob stumbling off to bed mindlessly because of way too many glasses of wine in the same way he had convinced Liette to keep having another glass. It seemed like he just kept pouring the whiskey and she had lost the will to refuse him. Part of it was because of how it made her feel. All the worry and pain she suffered through by being here seemed to fade away with the drink. She now understood why Ryan kept that water bottle so close to him. The vodka helped him cope and tonight the whiskey had helped Liette.
Joe's drinks had done nothing for coping but had instead encouraged more frequent truthfulness to come out of his mouth. He was not in the trade of lying to Liette but sometimes he silenced his thoughts because he thought they might upset her. He did not share his feelings about murder or his urges to kill again but instead he kept it to himself. He was also very careful when it came to confessing his feelings. He didn't want to overwhelm Liette or pressure her to feel the same way but he was growing tired of waiting for a genuine response for her. Now with the alcohol in him Joe was desperate to find the response he really wanted. He hoped that her own drunken state would allow her to give it to him. He needed her feelings to be true.
"You are the perfect woman." he said, leaning closer to her. She could smell the wine on his breath mixing with the whiskey scent of her own. He was far too close for comfort but personal space seemed to be out of the question when Joe was drinking. He wanted so badly to kiss her. The feeling of her lips on his was unknown to him but he had thought about it year after year. He had obsessed over it on those nights after he had killed the girls back in 2003. Every kill had relieved him of some pain her felt over not being with Liette but he had never stopped longing for her. He thought about those lips more often than any man should. He just wanted to taste them and feel them. He needed to know what it was like but he needed it to be real. His fantasy almost exclusively involved her kissing him. She had to at least kiss him back or the magic would be lost. "I love you so much." the words fell from his mouth like they had before and once again Liette responded with a sigh.
"I know."
That was when things changed. Joe's free hand grabbed her wrist and he held onto her with an intensity that was scary. His whole demeanor shifted again as it had when they were in the car. She had not given him the answer he wanted. His raw emotions coursed through him causing aggression that was powered by alcohol. "Why won't you say it back?" his voice echoed out in a growl. It was quite evident that he was serious. He was desperate for the proper response. He wanted to know if she had real feelings for him. He was confessing his love and yet she would not say it back. It was frustrating. Soberly he would have rationed out that this would take more time but in his drunken state Joe was unable to see reason. He wanted to know why she couldn't just make things easier.
"I can't..."
"Why?!" his voice bellowed and it was not hard to imagine that the others heard the altercation. None of them moved from their beds. It was in no one's interest to get involved in this fight. This was between Joe and Liette. They would have to do this on their own, even if neither one of them was in the right state to do so.
"I'm not ready yet."
"What do I have to do to make you love me again?"
"I don't know!" she ripped away from his grasp and crossed across the room but he wasn't about to let space truly come between them. He was upon her in moments. His hands were on her body, spinning her so she would face him again. He had her cornered up against the wall and he was practically pressing himself against her as he demanded more of an answer from her. Fear surged through Liette as she felt her predator attack. He had more of a free range this time because the room was bigger. She knew what he could do to her if he didn't control his temper. She knew that if he found the courage to kill her then it would not be beautiful or quick.
"Tell me! I'll do anything!"
"Joe, don't do this." she said, shaking under the weight of his daunting stare. He watched her eyes fill up with tears. He had made her cry again and this time that just made him angry. Nothing he could do worked out right. He could not find the way to give her everything she wanted and it was infuriating. She needed to give him some sort of clue so he could actually head in the right direction. He felt like he was making no progress or at least very little. Her crying signaled to him that he had just taken two steps back.
He couldn't keep dealing with it like this.
"Fine." Joe tore away from her in frustration and began to stumble towards the doorway. Liette watched him as he made his way slowly to exit the room. She came off of the wall and took a few steps in the same direction as him.
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
"You can't go out, you'll get yourself caught." she reasoned out, slurring her words slightly as she moved to sit down on the bed. She felt lightheaded and dizzy. The rush of excitement plus the alcohol in her blood was a little too much. She watched Joe carefully and then had to wonder why he would just leave? There were other options. This house appeared to have lots of rooms and Liette knew the couches downstairs would work as a bed if needed. There was no point in him leaving unless he had something he wanted to do. "Besides, where would you go?"
"To find a girl."
"Why?" but Liette knew the answer without being told.
"You don't want me to answer that."
He wanted to kill again. She hadn't given him what he needed and therefore he needed his old habits back. He'd find another girl with blonde hair and he'd go after her. The blame would rest quite squarely on Liette's shoulders if she didn't stop him. He would kill because of her. This time she had the knowledge to know an intervention was needed or she'd have to physically stop him. Right now she wasn't in the proper state to be able to do so. If he walked out that door another young woman was going to die and Liette would be helpless to save her. It wasn't as if she had the physical prowess to stop him. That meant this had to happen on a psychological level. Liette's head was too jumbled to think of the words that could make him stay. Instead she just began to plead with him.
"Don't do this..."
"Don't bother." Joe snapped at her.
"Joe, please." she was on her feet again, moving towards him in the doorway. Her hand fell on his turned shoulder but he quickly whipped it out from under her touch. He didn't look at her for a moment but as he noticed her moving to reach out to him again he snapped.
"Why? You don't want me here! You don't love me anymore!" the words came out of Joe's mouth like a drunken realization. It hit him like a brick. He felt his mind wrapping around the idea after the words left his mouth. What if all of her feelings were gone? What if there was nothing left? This could have all been an act. "You're just pretending aren't you!?"
"Joe, stop."
Her voice was hard and for a moment it made Joe hate her. She had no right telling him what to do. He wouldn't allow her to speak to him like this but he couldn't hurt her. For the first time in a long time he really wanted to but he was reminded of the gut feeling he got whenever he tried to find a way to do so. His memory flashed back to skating and dinner at his house. He remembered the hardships he had had when faced with killing her. He wasn't sure he could do it even like this. It still felt wrong. He couldn't kill Liette. He couldn't. She needed to be part of his happy ending. He needed to take his aggression out somewhere else. His feet moved him out the doorway but Liette caught him before he could take the first step down the stairs.
"Joe..." no other words of begging or pleading came from her lips. Instead she found her opportunity when he looked back at her. In an instant she was before him, turning him to face her fully. Her hand reached up and touched the side of his cheek. He turned away from her but she pulled him back. His eyes were wrought with confusion and then suddenly Liette's hand was on the back of his neck. She leaned forward onto the balls of her feet and brought her face up to Joe's. A slight moment of hesitation shivered through her body as she found herself mere inches away from his face. She felt his breath mixing with hers before she closed her eyes and allowed herself to let go.
Liette's lips touched Joe's in the softest of ways. At first it was so gentle that it was barely there. Like a butterfly landing on your hand. But that feeling did not last long. Their drunken states and the built up tension led to Joe's hands finding Liette's waist to pull her closer to him. Liette's own hands put pressure on the back of his neck to drag him into the kiss more. Ten years ago she had wondered what this would feel like. She had forgotten her curiosity in her disgust of finding out what Joe was but that did not stop her from venturing back to old thoughts not. It was more than she had ever expected. It was a bit harder and perhaps a bit messier because of the drinking but it was still extraordinary. His hands held her closer as he captured her lips in his, not wanting to break for air.
When they did break there was a silence. Liette knew it had worked. Joe no longer showed any signs of wanting to head out of the door. He wouldn't need to kill tonight. It wasn't the confession he had been looking for but it was enough. They say actions speak louder than words and this time the actions spoke volumes. To Joe this was more than enough for now. Liette couldn't say the words yet but she could give him this. It felt perfect. It was the best way to experience a kiss for the first time in ten years. It was the kiss he had been waiting for and now he had it. Nothing about it felt wrong to Joe. It was in this moment that he realized he had actually let go of Claire. She had cheated on him and therefore divorce or not she had broken the contract of their marriage and their love by being with another man. The fact that that other man had been Ryan Hardy was just adding insult to injury. Now it didn't matter. He wasn't going to let Ryan have Claire but Joe didn't want her anymore either. Claire would be just another fun person to dispose of.
The break for air stopped as Joe felt himself needing her. Alcohol was not the only thing he had not had in ten years. His hands on his waste allowed him to walk her backwards back towards the bedroom. Liette was relieved to see that Joe wasn't heading off to kill some poor innocent girl because of her. They stumbled together through the hallway and Joe brought their lips together once more. It was carnal and wild as he found himself pressing them together more and more. He couldn't help himself. He moved his hands to her thighs and in one swift motion he picked her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist for stability and her arms clung to him. It was in this moment that Liette realized this was all escalating too quickly. What was supposed to be one kiss was turning into a lot more.
What had she done?
As Joe carried her towards the bed she realized what she might have implied to him. That had not been her intention. She had just been trying to snap him back to her so he wouldn't go kill. The kiss had been amazing and her old feelings thrived off his every touch but her mind began to sober at the thought of where this was going. Ryan Hardy's voice echoed in her head.
"Is it also your job to have sex with serial killers!?"
This could not happen but Liette wasn't sure she could say no. Fear surged through her. How far would she have to go to take Joe down? How much would she had to do to keep his trust? His lips found her neck and her body jolted at the feeling. This whole situation was a contradiction. Part of her wanted him more than anything and that was clear by the fact that she was psychically responsive to him but in her mind she knew it was wrong. The alcohol betrayed her and wanted her to follow her basic urges. Joe turned them around and lowered them onto the bed, Liette on top of him as he leaned up to kiss her more. His hands slipped under her shirt and it was quite clear that all of this was about to happen. Years of waiting and dreaming about it had left Joe unwilling to wait any longer.
But luckily for Liette an interruption was made.
"Oh...I'm sorry." Jacob's eyes had widened as he stood in the looking at them. He had been aware of Joe's feelings for Liette but Jacob had been convinced that Liette was not here because she loved Joe. There was something about the way she stood and spoke around them that told Jacob something was off. He didn't want to believe that she was still working for the FBI but he could understand that her trust in Joe had not been fully revived. Jacob had figured she just needed a bit more time but apparently she was a bit more ready than he had thought.
"What is it Jacob?" Joe growled from underneath Liette. Embarrassed the girl moved off of Joe and shifted to the side of the bed. It was like a cruel wake-up call that her life wasn't some romantic novel where the villain suddenly became the hero. Alcohol still pulsed through her but logic seemed to take over. She had almost just willingly slept with Joe.
"Roderick just messaged." Jacob said, causing Joe to sit up. "We know where the others are."
A grin came over Joe's face, a grin that Liette registered as terrifying. She could practically see the gears turning in his head. They were back on track which meant he could get back to writing the real plot of his story. "Good, we'll leave in the morning." he said with a nod. "Goodnight Jacob."
"Goodnight."
Jacob disappeared down the hall, leaving Liette and Joe once again. Joe stood from the bed and crossed to the door in over to close it. As he turned back to Liette his smile widened. He had her now and soon he would have the others. "Everything is falling into place." he grinned as he came back over to her. "Everything." Joe placed another kiss on her lips and Liette was sure he was going to restart what he had started. He leaned over her on the bed, ready to lay her down fully when suddenly he stood up straight. Something was wrong.
Ten years without alcohol meant mixing was a terrible idea.
"I'm so sorry love...I think...I think I'm going to be sick." And in the same way alcohol had made her vulnerable in this situation it had actually saved her from doing what she knew she shouldn't. Joe took off into the bathroom while Liette stayed stationary. She brought her knees up close to her chest and buried her face down into her legs. What the hell had she just gotten herself into?